Developer renews effort to build houses on former golf course in Bloomingdale

A developer is making another push to build hundreds of houses for empty nesters on the former Indian Lakes golf course property in Bloomingdale.

This time, K. Hovnanian Homes also provided a glimpse of how the rest of the 223 acres along Schick Road someday could be redeveloped with restaurants, retail and offices.

The village on Monday announced it received an application from K. Hovnanian for a planned unit development for a proposed subdivision with 535 ranch-style houses for people 55 and older.

"It's a significant application," Village Administrator Pietro Scalera said. "It's one that the village is going to take its time to review."

He said the village also is going to provide ample opportunity for residents to provide feedback through a series of public meetings.

"Just like the mayor and board have said over and over again," Scalera said, "the community will be involved in the decision process because this property is such an important part of our community."

According to the documents submitted by K. Hovnanian, Indian Lakes would be split into two parcels.

The parcel K. Hovnanian wants to redevelop totals roughly 191 acres. It wants to transform the former golf course land into an "active lifestyle" community for residents 55 and older that would be called Four Seasons at Indian Lakes.

Under the current plan, the proposed neighborhood would feature 535 ranch-style houses and a 14,000-square-foot clubhouse. The clubhouse would feature a pool and deck for outdoor social recreation, as well as courts for tennis, bocce ball and pickle ball.

There also will be open space with extensive landscaping and more than 2.7 miles of walking paths, according to the plan.

The application also provided a peek at what First ILR LLC, the owner of Indian Lakes, eventually might want to do with the remaining resort land.

According to the documents, the roughly 31 acres along Schick could someday become the Commons at Indian Lakes.

It would include the existing Indian Lakes Hotel and an existing restaurant. But it also could include two new restaurants, two medical office buildings, and two buildings with retail and office space.

But Scalera stressed that First ILR would need to file a separate application for that development.

"They just wanted to show what the potential improvements could be along Schick Road," he said.

K. Hovnanian's submittal was made four months after a DuPage County judge dismissed a lawsuit that would have compelled Bloomingdale to review the company's redevelopment plans for the golf course.

At issue in the lawsuit - filed by First ILR LLC and K. Hovnanian - was whether Bloomingdale had to begin consideration of the application, despite officials' position that it was incomplete because it lacked final engineering plans.

After the case was dismissed, First ILR asked the village about the possibility of resubmitting the application as a planned unit development, which wouldn't require final engineering.

Under a planned unit development, the specific project is considered, and approval means only that the specific project can be built on the site, officials said.

On Tuesday, a spokesman for First ILR and K. Hovnanian, declined to comment about the latest submittal.

In the meantime, village officials said they are working to sort through and analyze the application. Because of the number of documents, the village will need to hire several consultants to help with the review process.

Discussions about Indian Lakes began when the 27-hole golf course and a 36,000-square-foot conference center were closed in late 2016 as part of an effort to save the property's hotel.